Letters : Scans in the dock

You argue that brain imaging such as PET scans should be used for diagnosing medical conditions, not in defending criminal actions (Editorial, 22 March, p 3). Would that were so in Britain in respect to children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a disproportionate number of whom will end up in prison.

Britain is years behind the US and other developed countries in the management of this condition, with some psychiatrists pooh-poohing its existence. Now PET scans can reveal the functional differences in such cases, with some overactivity in the visual and auditory cortex (hence inattention), and underperformance in the "executive" prefrontal lobes (and thus hyperactivity and impulsiveness).

Yes, PET scans should play an important role in validating this condition, and help ensure its accurate diagnosis and proper treatment, rather than confirming after the event our failure to help sufferers who end up in the dock. ...

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